Thursday, January 31, 2013

Travel Day One.

After a restless night on the couch with Bearette, we were up pretty early this morning. Dad came over to help finish loading the car. I gave Bearette her medicine, and twenty minutes later it hit her really hard. She fell over like a log and started flailing. I had to pick her up and carry her inside. She fought it for a while and then calmed down.  This happened a couple of times today. Every time, it freaked me out. I said goodbye to Dad, and Heather texted that she wanted me to come by her work. She was able to take a break, so we had a nice talk before I left Crozet at 10 am.
   
Sleepy Girl

Driving up Afton Mountain, it was slow going. I was completely paranoid that I'd overloaded the trailer and the engine was going to just explode with the strain. The mountains and hills between Crozet and the middle of West Virginia kept me going pretty slow, but I was okay not rushing. I got to West Virginia right at noon.



It didn't keep try of how long it took to get across West Virginia, unfortunately, but I realized that my route was going to miss Ohio, which was right across the bridge from where I was, so I made a quick modification so that I could find a geocache....

 Then it was right back across the river to West Virginia, and a few minutes later into Kentucky.


I was feeling good at this point about the driving, stopping to fill up my tank when it got to half, which was approximately every 90-100 miles. Sometimes it was cold when I got out, sometimes it was bitter cold. Bearette was still sleepy, and I had to carry her to the grass, and only once she actually went potty, as she was falling over, and refusing to drink. She will not get the full dose tomorrow! I thought I would have to stop in Kentucky, but at 10 hours, I was not tired at all, so I figured I'd drive further. I entered Indiana and then the spitting snow that I'd had since I was a half hour from home became a snow storm.


The sign is unreadable, but I had to put it in for completeness. Just over the Indiana border, the snow came down, large wet flakes. At first it was just wet on the road, and there was a lot of traffic, so I continued on. Then it got worse, and the wind made it difficult to see. I pulled over at a rest area to check the map on my phone for the next exit with services, and of course my internet was spotty. I called Jenny in Idaho and she looked it up for me, I was about ten miles from Corydon, which had lots of hotels, including a Super 8, that we knew took dogs. By the time I got back on the road, five minutes later, it was white, and there were very few cars, but visible tracks to stay on the road. Then they got covered, and it was slow slow slow going. I came up on some cars, and while staying back many car lengths, used their tires and lights to stay on the road. For a couple of miles, we went less than 5 miles per hour, and the ripple strip on the right side of the road was the only way I could tell where the edge was. Thankfully it wasn't so deep that you couldn't see the ripples. I thought I would never get to the exit. When I did, I was surprised at the number of people who did not get off with me. I could see the Motel from the road, tucked behind a shopping center. I made my way to the building, and up a little incline that I wasn't sure I'd be able to make, and finally parked. I went inside and asked the rate for a single with a dog. It was higher than I'd hoped, but I told her I couldn't go any further, and my hands were still shaking, so she gave me the AAA discount, even though I don't have AAA, which brought the price a decent amount, and I was happy and very grateful.  I parked behind the building, which actually was pretty close to one of the doors, and made a trip in with my bag. I went back out for Bearette, and she was still groggy. She made it up the stairs to the second floor, but couldn't make it down the hall, so I had to carry her.
She's not quite sure what to make of the smells, but she did perk up enough for me to feel okay feeding her. We went outside again and the gale force winds freaked her out, but I finally got her to potty. By the time she got up the stairs this time, she was huffing and I am worried about her again. That was our last trip out before bed, and I am really hoping she's back to her crazy obnoxious self tomorrow. I may give her a quarter or an eighth of a tablet if she's anxious, but never again a half tab. Poor baby seems so sad :(

Today's total was 500 miles in eleven hours, including stops for gas, potty, and geocaches found in Kentucky and Ohio, as I'd already found one in West Virginia on a previous trip.











Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Last Full Day

Today is my last full day in Virginia. It started at 6am with some small critter in my kitchen making noise, by 8:30am I had showered, gotten gas, shopped at Walmart and was at the U-Haul place to pick up my trailer. The guy, KC, was really nice. Said a lot of people made moves like this to be near their families. He also gave me two extra days for geocaching. Hopefully I won't need them, but it's good to have them. For this long of a journey, there is a minimum rental of six days. I thought it would take 3-4 days to get there, but of course if there is bad weather, it might delay me. This way I at least don't have to worry about that. Or if it takes me longer to unload it, I'm covered.

When I got home, I started setting up the back seat for Bearette. I had a nice visit with my Postmistress Mandy at the Post Office, and then headed to Sal's to meet my friend Catherine for lunch. She lives in Amelia, but was passing by Crozet on her way to Indiana for a class, so it was perfect timing. We visited for three hours, but I think we could have talked all day long, but she had to get back on the road, and I had to get finished packing. After lunch I had to go to the Vet to pick up the sedatives for Bearette, to help her take the edge off of her nervousness. I got home and thought I could load the trailer myself, but that didn't work so well, so I called Dad and he came over to help me load. It took a while, and the pile felt like a lot more when it was all getting moved in one day, versus when I was piling it up over a period of months. I was worried it wouldn't all fit, and it was close.

I had thought I would be able to load it unhooked from the car, but it didn't have a hitch jack, so I couldn't leave the house after it was loaded to go and visit Caitlin and Heather, which made me sad, so I went to bed early. It had been a long day, and tomorrow was going to be even longer.



 My route with geocaches along the way so that I can get at least one in each state I've never gotten one in before.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Last Day At Work.

Today was my last day at work. It didn't feel like my last day, and it doesn't feel like I'm moving on Thursday. I got to chose where we ordered lunch from, and then because it's my job to order, I put the order in. I chose Jason's Deli, and got my sandwich and soup that I love so much. Only, I screwed up, and somehow didn't order my sandwich. I had the soup, which is very filling, and one of my coworkers gave me her salad since she had brought lunch and it was my last day. Even if I hadn't had anything to eat, I would rather it have happened to me than to have forgotten another person's order. We had a nice lunch together, which we don't always get a chance to do if it's busy.

Most of my job today was watching the girl who's taking over my job, answering her questions, making suggestions on things, etc. Near the end of the day I had to go to our other office to pick up some supplies, so I got to say goodbye to everyone there as well. There are some great people who work here, and I will miss them.


Tomorrow morning I have to pick up my u-haul trailer at 8:30am, which is awfully early, but the guy that runs the station where I am picking it up had a conflict for later in the day, and offered me an extra day for free if I picked it up early, so I agreed. When you rent one way, there is a minimum six day rental, which should be plenty of time, but in case of bad weather, I didn't want to pick it up too early and then have to pay for extra days if I didn't have to. Now I have a nice little cushion of time on the other end.

I will spend most of the day unstacking the giant stack of boxes in the corner of the house, and getting ready for when Dad comes after work to help me load it up. Heather also has Caitlin tomorrow, so I'd like to get over there to say goodbye to them.

I am very excited about my lunch plans with my friend Catherine from school. We were in the same Vet Tech class, and she lives in Richmond, which was good when I lived in Richmond, but the last two times I saw here were February 2009 at the wedding, so not a proper visit, and in June 2010 when she came to our Welcome to Virginia party. It will be really good to see her again. 

 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Painting

When Heather invited me over to paint with Caitlin yesterday, I jumped at the opportunity. And then I got the paint brush in my hand and I remembered why I don't paint. I have great ideas, but putting them on paper is a whole other story! I went with simple dots. Caitlin did not approve. Heather then made a Geocaching symbol, and I asked her if I could have it, and she said yes. Caitlin did not approve of that either, but I got to take it home with me.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sal's and Cider

Dinner was from Sal's. Never know when will be my last meal there. Instead of chips with my turkey sub, I got the loaded baked potato, which was served with bread. I highly recommend the soup. The soup and bread was a meal, but the sub is my all time favorite! For drink, I had a Newton's Folly Hard Cider, the Granny Smith variety. A friend at work recommended it, and now I can. It was delicious! I hope that I can find it in Wyoming.


Saturday, January 26, 2013

Zions Motel ... Down Where?

I had to drive to the other side of Charlottesville to have my car repaired by my ex-brother-in-law's brother-in-law. On the way there, I saw an interesting sign. The angle I saw it at was better than the angle I had to shoot it from. The arrow is pointing DOWN at an angle. I suppose it means, turn right at the intersection, but it shows, turning DOWN into the ground, just asking to be a Picture of the Day.

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Pile

I started thinking about moving closer to the children the day they moved away. But I knew that it was not the right time, situation, etc. It was so hard being away from them, and only seeing them a couple of times a year. We talked once a week on average, and after talking to Briony for hours and hours, it was easier to be apart. But always hard to say good night or good bye at the airport. This summer a girl at work moved to Arizona because she thought it would be a good place to start over. That is when I first started thinking seriously about relocating. I looked into the Denver area, and that is when I discovered a gem of a city, Fort Collins Colorado. I liked all they had to offer, the proximity to the airport, the short (under two hour) drive to Laramie. Nid agreed to drive the kids half way to meet me once a month, but I could come up all the way and get them more often if we wanted.

I started planning a weeks holiday over Thanksgiving. I wanted to have job interviews lined up and find an apartment. I also would spend time with the children. My ideal plan would have been to find a job and an apartment and move before Christmas. I was aware that that was hoping for a lot, so I did plan ahead and bring all the Christmas presents with me to leave under their tree just in case. Because I might not have a lot of time after the trip, I had a couple of yard sales with my sister, and donated a lot of stuff to the Jesus store, our favorite charity shop in Waynesboro. I priced moving vans and towing plans, and what was in my budget was to add a tow hitch to my car, and pull a u-haul trailer. Only, my car doesn't have a very big engine, so the trailer would have to be quite small, so I had to get rid of nearly everything. I am taking a dresser and my bed frame and personal belongings. I taped off the size of the trailer on the living room floor, and it has been a work in progress since early November. I add things and take things out. There is also a weight limit to what I can pull, so I have to be aware of that as well as the dimensions. It ended up that I got offered a job as a Vet Tech, but could not find an apartment that I could afford with that job that would allow me to have a dog, and leaving Bearette was not an option. That is when I started looking into moving to Laramie, where I could see the children every week or more, and not have the travel time and extra expense of gas to get them, and also I would not have to worry about the weather closing roads between us. 

This is my pile as of today. Pretty much the only thing that isn't in the pile is the bed frame, and the last minute stuff that will be going in the car.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Two Meals Out In One Day

Nearly every Thursday Dr. Dean buys lunch for the office. Today it was from our new favorite, Jason's Deli. It was my favorite lunch from there so far, though I do love the nutty berry salad.

California Club: Toasted croissant with turkey breast, bacon, Swiss, tomato, organic field greens, mayo, guacamole. Served with fresh fruit. I also got their Tomato Basil soup, which is chunky and delicious.



After work, I went to dinner with my (Great) Aunt Margaret. We ate at Westminster Canterbury, where she lives, and they had Shepard's Pie on the menu. It was very good. We had a wonderful visit, and I will miss her dearly when I move. She has always been a very special person in my life. We started doing our family genealogy together when I was in college, and more recently she has kept a close eye on me when things got hard for a while.



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Coyote Sighting.

I have a lot of foxes where I live. A lot. I see them on average four nights a week. I am pretty sure that there is a family living in the woods right behind my house, because sometimes I hear what sounds like a large number of them talking at the same time, from quite close by. My dog will sometimes stand in the field and wag her tail and yip and I have thought several times she must be trying to communicate with them, but due to the tall grass I cannot see them out there with her in the dark.


This week I saw something different. It was much larger than a fox, which is why I thought it was a wolf at first. But after researching it, I believe it was a coyote. I have either seen two, or the same one twice. They were about a week apart, and about a mile as the crow flies, so there is no way to know. One was during the day, bolting across a field, the other was at night crossing the road on my way home.

 These are some of the best photos that I found on-line that look like what I saw.




I do not have any photos of the foxes I see, either. But here are a couple of cute ones I found. Click HERE to listen to the symphony that I enjoy on a regular basis. The ones titled Yip, Call and Cry are the sounds I hear most often.
Red Fox


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

It's Cold... Inside!

It's been cold here. Really cold. For Virginia. I do realize that it will be much colder in Wyoming. I have a particular co-worker that quite enjoys telling me that. The thing about Wyoming is, however, that it won't be 40 degrees IN MY HOUSE. I thought I had gotten the photo of that, but it turns out I didn't. Even though it has been 40 degrees IN MY HOUSE every morning and every evening when I get home. The wood stove just isn't cutting it when it's in the teens outside. The pipes froze and I didn't have water, but they didn't burst, so when they got thawed out the water came back. I keep a trickle running overnight and when I'm not here, to keep it from happening again.

When I am in a hurry, I can usually get it up to 50....


When I have all evening, I can get it up to 60.....


But then I wake up to 40 and have to start all over again!

The monster splinter that I got loading the fire tonight... Thankfully my tweezers were not yet packed up!



Monday, January 21, 2013

Kohls, I will miss you

I got a 30% off coupon to Kohls, so of course I had to go and see if there was anything I needed. I actually do need a new pair of sneakers, however they didn't have any. What they did have was lots of cute flats! But I don't need more cute flats right now, and since I am having to get rid of so much for my move, I could not get these. But I do love them, and I might get them in the future. Of course, there is no Kohls in Laramie :(



Sunday, January 20, 2013

Restful Sunday

Caitlin and I picked out this cute little toy for Bearette to take on our trip. Her other toys are torn to shreds, and this one was so darn cute. She has been carrying it around with her today, so I think she likes it.



I did not have enough yarn for another scarf, but I wanted to continue growing my crocheting skills, so I put together this hat. It's not perfect by any means, but it fits and it does the job.



Saturday, January 19, 2013

Joey Joe of the New Kids On The Block

I was giving some things to Heather tonight, and I had this very special doll to give to Caitlin. My dear friend Jenny gave me this Joe McIntyre New Kids On The Block doll for my 16th Birthday. I have never been able to throw it out. I knew I wanted to give it to Caitlin, as she loves Barbies, and with the move, this was my last chance.



Friday, January 18, 2013

Thanksgiving In A Bun

Lunch at work today was from Baggby's. I am trying to eat healthy, but since this could be the last time I get to eat here, I went for my favourite sandwich. The Sundown: tender breast of turkey, herb stuffing, cranberries, mayo, lettuce, on a fresh sub roll. It is Thanksgiving in a bun. With a side of potato salad and a giant chocolate chip cookie.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Fashion Forward

Caitlin's outfit today. She is so fashionable!


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Pretty Panda

Caitlin's pretty pink panda outfit.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Two Weeks.

I gave my two weeks' notice at work today. I had worked myself into a bit of terror over it. Despite the fact that I have been planning on moving since last August, and actively downsizing and making arrangements since early October, all of a sudden the timing has fallen into place and I have to actually move now! My boss was so very nice about it, and was supportive and understanding that this is what I need to do for me. I really enjoy my job and the people I work with, but I do not like living where I live right now. And the fact is, if I move out of this house, where I do care-taking duties in exchange for rent, and move into a place that I have to pay rent, I won't be able to save the thousands of dollars it costs for me to have the children visit me twice a year. But if I am closer to them, then I can see them more often, and don't have to make (SAVE) as much money as I do to transport them here. I also will not have to miss holidays and birthdays and school events. Once they are out of college, who knows where I'll go. I don't see myself staying in Laramie at this point, but that is about six years down the line, and six years ago today I would never have imagined I'd be where I am now, so I really can't say. I just don't want to look back and say to myself, one day in the future, I really wish I'd moved closer to the children so I could have spent more of their childhoods with them. They're 16 and 14 now, practically adults. And I want to be able to show them how much I love them on a regular basis, not just during our weekly phone calls, or bi-annual holidays together.

I was dreading telling my work, but now that I have I am feeling much better. There is still a ton to do, and the first week of February is not the most ideal time to be driving cross country... by myself (with Bearette drugged in the back seat). But it's an ADVENTURE! That's what I keep telling myself when the nerves and stress overcome me. It will be worth it. And if Laramie isn't the place for me, once I am there, I can investigate Cheyenne, or Fort Collins, Colorado, which is a beautiful city, and the place I was originally trying to move, but was unsuccessful in finding housing in November when I was there. Tomorrow is a new day, and I will just keep moving forward until I find what it is that will make me the happiest that I can be. That's all that we can do. Will life ever be perfect? No. But it can be wonderful.

 Picture of the Day: Breakfast for dinner. 



Sunday, January 13, 2013

Crochet

Yesterday I took a crochet class at Michael's. It was two hours, and I was the only one in class. I used to crochet and knit with my grandma and great aunt when I was little, but it's been a long time. I picked it up again right away, and spent all day today making two scarves. It was so nice, I even got to do it outside, with my wet Bearette, who was not too happy that she got a bath, but glad that she could dry off outside in the fresh 70 degree air.


Saturday, January 12, 2013

70 Degree Weekend!

It's hard to believe that this foggy morning turned into 70 degrees with sunshine. Two days in a row!


Friday, January 11, 2013

Holiday Bears

One of the farms up the road from me has some bears that live in their field. They are still wearing their holiday attire.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Coloring Fun

I did a little drawing with Caitlin tonight. This is my version of Snow White. Not my favourite Princess, but she called dibs on Ariel.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Virginia Sunset

Sunset from my driveway tonight.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

High In Staunton

I found a geocache in a mountain park hidden in the woods in Staunton. From the overlook, you can see Walmart. This is where the soda and shake I'd had on the drive hit me. So, for the first time in probably over 25 years (maybe 30...) I peed in the woods. Above Walmart. It was a memorable day!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Sal's Specials

Heather and I went to Sal's for dinner tonight. I got the new Beer Bean & Bacon Chicken Noodle Soup and Fresh Catfish Sandwich. I never get anything different, but I'm glad that I did tonight!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Ornamental Geocache

I Geocached on the way to work this morning, and got this cool ornament. I chose the Navy ornament because of my love of NCIS.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Geocaching Ouchie

Geocaching after work tonight, not the right shoes for it.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Geocaching Record Set

Geocaching with Heather. We got 30 caches today! We walked in the woods for 6 1/2 hours. We must have gone six miles. We got 21 in the park, and wanted to make it a record day, so we cached all the way home. Then Heather cheated and found another one after I went home, making her total 31. If I hadn't hurt so bad and been so tired at the point, I might just have gone out at 10pm to find another one myself.

A Blog Re-Started

I moved from Virginia to England in March 2009 to be with my husband and two step-children. I documented my time in England at Jenny's Adventures In England. I did this both to have something to look back on when I'm older, as well as to keep in touch with friends and family in the US and let them know what we were up to here.

We moved to back to my native Virginia in June 2010, and this blog was to focus on the experiences of my British husband and children acclimating to the US. Circumstances did not allow me to blog easily when we moved (lack of internet was a big issue).

In March 2011, my husband and I separated, and he moved across the country to be the best woman from our wedding, who is soon to be his wife. I was broken in so many ways for a long time after that. I am re-building my life now, and have made a choice to move closer to the children. I am going to make this blog be about my new adventure, as it unfolds.

Also contained within this blog with be a 2013 Picture A Day. I did this in 2012 on Facebook, but I want it off of  Facebook so non-FB friends and family can see it, and so that it will stand the test of time, which FB will not.

 Hopefully getting back into blogging will help me sort out some things that I intend to put in a book that I have started writing with my dearest friend of 25 years.